Traffic barricades are commonly used to warn vehicle traffic and pedestrians of danger and block off restricted areas. A traffic barricade is typically a portable or fixed device having from one to three rails with appropriate markings. It is used to control traffic by closing, restricting, or delineating all or a portion of the right-of-way.
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) classifies barricades as belonging to one of three types: Type I, Type II, or Type III. Type I or Type II barricades are intended for use in situations where traffic is maintained through the temporary traffic control zone. They may be used singly or in groups to mark a specific condition, or they may be used in a series for channeling traffic. Type I barricades normally would be used on conventional roads or urban streets and arterials. Type II barricades have more retroreflective area and are intended for use on expressways and freeways or other high-speed roadways. Type III barricades are used at a road closure. They may extend completely across a roadway or from curb to curb. Where provision is made for access of authorized equipment, vehicles, and/or local traffic, it is often necessary to move the barricade between a position blocking traffic and a position permitting traffic.
Barricades made of molded plastic have been known for some time. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,880,406 and 3,950,873 to Stehle et al. and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,298,186 and 4,624,210 to Glass. Barricades illustrated in these patents include two panel units hinged together so that they can be spread apart for use and collapsed for storage or transport—a conventional A-frame barricade. The individual panel units are one piece, integral, hollow plastic panels, formed by rotational or blow molding. The lower hollow sections may contain ballast.
Those plastic traffic barricades were an improvement over conventional steel and wood barricades. They are rugged, yet cause less damage to vehicles if inadvertently struck. Through the use of ballast in the units the center of gravity of the barricade is lower than either wood or metal barricades. The result is a barricade less susceptible to being blown over by wind. Other features typically incorporated in such barricades are bright colored reflective horizontal panels, flashing lights or signs, and a structural member near the bottom where a sand bag can be placed if additional ballast is required.
Plastic traffic barricades normally come in two conventional and distinct designs. The first conventional traffic barricade design is the A-frame design, an example of which is illustrated at U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,815. The second conventional traffic barricade design is a T-frame design, an example of which is illustrated at U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,368.
A first T-frame barricade design 10 is illustrated at FIG. 1. The T-frame barricade design 10 has two base horizontal members 12a, 12b; two support vertical members 14a, 14b; and a plurality of perpendicular rails 16 that interconnect to the two support vertical members 14a, 14b. Each support vertical members 14a, 14b connects to a respective base horizontal member 12a, 12b; and each perpendicular member securely fastens to the support vertical members.
Another embodiment of a T-frame barricade design 100 is illustrated at FIG. 2. The second embodiment has a base 120 which supports an upright member 140. The base 120 includes two removably interlocking sections 122, each having an enlarged portion. The enlarged portions define a socket 124 for closely receiving a tab 142 extending from the upright member 140. A deformably resilient material 126 surrounds the socket 122, permitting the upright member to deflect slightly and return to a substantially perpendicular orientation relative to the base 120. The upright member 140 incorporates integral structural supports which permit the barricade upright member 140 to maintain an upright member orientation without additional external support mechanisms.
The A-frame barricade design 20 is illustrated at FIG. 3. The A-frame barricade design 20 has two sets of leanable support members 22a, 22b, 24a, 24b, a plurality of perpendicular members 26 that interconnect to at least one member of both sets of leanable support members 22a and 24a and/or 22b and 24b, and a hinge rod 28 that interconnects (a) leanable support member 22a to leanable support member 24a and (b) leanable support member 22b to leanable support member 24b. 
The T-frame barricade designs 10, 100 and the A-frame barricade design 20 have problems. One of those problems is that if these barricade designs are hit by a vehicle, which is common, the barricade 10, 100, 20 has to be reconstructed, at least in part, with new components since each component only connects to a different part in one specific manner. That problem raises costs on road projects, which may be why no one has developed a more efficient barricade design.
This problem can be solved by the current invention.